There are many different races you can play, each with it's on pros and cons. Every race has limits to what classes it can be and how high level it can reach in those classes. Here's some info on the various races from the help files:

NOTE: IGNORE ANY MENTION OF RACE WAR. RACE WAR IS CURRENTLY DISABLED.

Human: Look in the mirror. Humans are the average the other races arecompared with. The are unlimited in all classes. They are subject to theleast amount of racial hatreds. Humans may multi-class, but some multi-class combinations are restricted to other races, especially to elvesand half elves. Human fighters can be granted exceptional strengthbonused additional to normal 18 strength.Humans fight on the side of good in the race war.Humans start at age 17, are mature at 21, middle aged at 41, old age at 61,and are ancient at 91.

Elf: Sharp features such as pointed ears set this race apart from most.They are known to be flighty and not dependable. Elves are also known tobe some of the best magicians around, as well as being one of the mostdexterous races. They fight on the side of good in the race war. Thesubraces of elf are:Moon Elf: More Movement, faster Mana gain, higher dex, lower con than humans. Some races have a racial hatred for them. Supposedly they detect secret doors and have infravision.Gold Elf: Same as Moon, except more intelligent and less wisdom.Wild Elf: Same as Moon except stronger, less intelligent.Sea Elf: Same as Moon except healthier and stronger, less dexterous. They can naturally breath water and have innate empathic abilities to communicate underwater.Moon and Gold Elves start at 120, mature at 251, reach middle age at 501, oldage at 751, and are ancient at 1126.Wild and Sea Elves start at 120, mature at 151, reach middle age at 301, oldage at 451, and are ancient at 676.(Dark elves, or Drow, are very different and are listed separately.)

Half-Elf: A Half breed of human and elf, this race calls no place home andtries to make anywhere s/he stays their home. A Half elf can take on thequalities of either of it human or elvish parents. They usually have theinfravision and can detect secret doors like an elf. They have goodmovement and mana gain. Half elves can multi-class in some interestingways, including multi-class Druids. Half elves fight on the side of goodin the race war. Half-Elves start at 25, mature at 51, reach middle ageat 101, old age at 151, and are ancient at 226.

Dark-Elf (Drow): The most evil race of elves, these live under the ground and rarelytunnel out to the surface. They have infravision and are wellcoordinated, but may not have good constitution. They like to enslaveother races, and especially hate other elves. They are cold bloodedkillers, and masters of magic. The sunlight causes their eyes extremepain, so they cannot fight well in sunlight. Generally dark elves haveblack colored skin and white hair. Very occasionally, Dark Elves willautomatically cast darkness and levitate on themselves. Dark Elves fighton the side of evil on the race war. In fact, they are the maininstigators of the race war, since they would very much go wipe out thegood races completely, and enslave the bad races. Not even other DarkElves trust Dark Elves.In comparison to good elves:Dark Elf: Same as elves, but higher dex, infravision, class limits are different. Minus to hit in lighted rooms, automatically cast darkness and levitate on themselves occasionally.Dark Elves start at 120, mature at 251, reach middle age at 501, old age at751, and are ancient at 1126.

Dwarf: Wide as a barrel and about as tall. This short stocky race buildsthe best stone houses/tunnels or anything made of stone around. Perhapsdue to their underground existence, Dwarves have developed the ability tosee outside the normal range of visible light, into the infrared. Due totheir short legs they sometimes have trouble keeping up with companions oftaller races. Dwarves are known to have very good constitution, but asalso known to be very hard to get along with. Some races hate all dwarves.Some (jealous of fine Dwarven craftsmanship no doubt) claim dwarves are abit clumsy. Dwarves do seem to gain HP faster, and they are hard topoison. If a dwarf does not have a beard a foot long he must be a baby.Dwarves fight on the side of good in the race war.Dwarves start at 45, mature at 61, reach middle age at 121, old age at 181,and are ancient at 271.

Dark-Dwarf: Dark Dwarves are ugly, twisted, Dwarf-like creatures of the Underdark.The dwarves claim no relationship with them, but Dark Dwarves can beassumed to be similar to Dwarves in most respects, except they fight onthe side of evil in the race war. It is said Dark Dwarves serve DarkElven masters.Dark Dwarves start at 45, mature at 61, reach middle age at 121, old age at181, and are ancient at 271.

Gnome: Some would say that these guys look like a dwarf with a very largenose, I would not say that to a dwarf though. Gnomes are known to be veryintelligent, but are not wise at all. They have the low movement andinfravision of a dwarf, but have faster mana gain. Gnomes fight on theside of good in the race war.Gnomes start at 45, mature at 91, reach middle age at 181, old age at 271,and are ancient at 406.

Deep-Gnome: Same as Gnome but they fight on the side of evil in the race war.

Halfling: Mini-humans is what they look like, but nothing like humans arethey. Halflings like to enjoy good food and lay about. They are good atmost Thief skills when born and can hide naturally, although they are notan evil race. They are also more likely to learn Thief skills through use.They are very dexterous, but not very strong. They usually have troublekeeping up with taller companions, but they recover their endurance andhealth faster than many other races. Halflings are hard to poison naturally,becoming resistant to poison over time, and eventually immune. Halflingsfight on the side of good in the race war.Halflings start at 25, mature at 31, reach middle age at 61, old age at 91,and are ancient at 136.

Goblin: Goblins are nasty little creatures, about the size of Halflings. They arenot as strong as larger races, but make up for it by being morecoordinated and less ethical. They live short brutal lives, and are justout for themselves. They have infravision, and like to steal. Goblinshave the racial trait 'Like Father, Like Son' and learn thief skillsextremely fast. They fight on the side of evil in the race war.Goblins start at 12(young), reach middle age at 29, old age at 43, and areancient at 64.

Orcish: Orcs live short, brutal lives in their underground warrens. They areremarkably similar to toothy, pig snouted, hunched humans, but seem to bede-evolving. They are perhaps becoming healthier over time, due to theirtendency to eat their own children if the children are weak. Those whoare not Orcs find Orcs remarkably repulsive. They have infravision, anddislike light. Orcs are well suited to the Warrior or Thief class,learning these skills much faster than other races. Orcs also have theracial trait 'Like Father, like Son.' They fight on the side of evil in the race war.Orcs start at 12(young), reach middle age at 29, old age at 43, and areancient at 64.

Half-Orc: Half human and half orc, this guy looks like a very very ugly human.Not very sure where to live these guys can be very dangerous or veryhelpful. They are however healthy, have infravision and have good movegain. Half-orcs learn thief skills much faster than most races.They fight on the side of good in the race war, to the amazement ofmany. Half-orcs start at 12(young), reach middle age at 29, old age at 43, and areancient at 64.

Half-Ogre: Half Ogres are huge hairy human looking race. They are not verysmart nor very quick moving about, however they are strong and healthy.They have good move and hit point gain, and are big. They fight on theside of good in the race war, to the amazement of many. Half-ogres startat 17(mature), reach middle age at 29, old age at 43, and are ancient at 64.

Trollish: These are large, horrible creatures. They are not as large as Half-Giants, so cannot bash giant creatures. Trolls are very strong, sometimesstronger than any human, and are healthy, but they are clumsy, dumb, andlack wisdom. They are resilient. Trolls sure seem to be able to take a lotof damage! Occasionally, after battle, they regenerate an occasional hitpoint. Trolls who are unarmed fight with claws instead of fists. Theyhave infravision. They fight on the side of evil in the race war. Trollsstart at 25, mature at 31, reach middle age at 61, old age at 91, andare ancient at 136.

Half-Giant: Race of half giant and half human, they look more human thananything and can often be confused as a large human. Half-Giants are knownfor their high strength and constitution, but are a bit dim, and sometimesfoolish. They can take an incredible amount of damage and live to bragabout it. They are very large, so can sometimes bash other very largecreatures. They are only suited to being Warriors or Barbarian. Theyfight on the side of good in the race war. Half-Giants start at 25, mature at 31, reach middle age at 61, old age at 91, and are ancient at 136.